“Second Uncle, just take it. The road ahead is still long, and these thirty catties of grain are just a drop in the bucket,” Shen Qingwan said as she slowly stood up.

Then, she went back and brought thirty catties of grain for Lu Xingwang.

After giving them the food, Shen Qingwan led Da Huang and carried the puppies back home.

Watching them leave, Lu Dachuan finally walked over to look at the heavy half-bag of coarse rice in his father’s arms.

It was enough to feed their family for a while.

If they rationed carefully, they might really make it to Suzhou.

“I never expected Shen to change so much. Ever since she hit her head that day, it’s like she’s become a different person. She’s much more likable now,” Lu Dachuan commented.

Chen Zhaodi was overjoyed as she looked at the rice.

Wang Daniu sighed, feeling a bit grateful to Shen Qingwan—not only did she lend them food and money, but now she had even given them thirty catties of grain for free.

It truly touched her heart.

To her, this food was as good as a gift.

Moreover, Shen Qingwan had saved Da Huang’s life.

Even though the dog no longer belonged to them, they had raised it and still had feelings for it.

Killing Da Huang had been a difficult decision for them, and now, thanks to Shen Qingwan, they didn’t have to.

Shen Qingwan didn’t think too much about it.

She only knew that Xiao Yu clung to Da Huang after bringing him back, refusing to let go of the puppies.

She seemed to love them dearly.

Xiao Chen was also very fond of the puppies, constantly hugging and stroking them.

When Old Madam Lu saw that Shen Qingwan had not only brought back a whole litter of puppies but also taken Da Huang home, she immediately slapped her thigh in frustration. “Oh dear, what kind of times are these? People can barely survive, let alone have extra food to raise these animals! You should send them back immediately. Even if they were free, we couldn’t afford them! And you even exchanged so much grain for them!”

Earlier, she hadn’t known why Shen Qingwan had taken so much food, but now she understood—thirty catties of grain for all these extra mouths to feed.

Dogs eat even more than people. How could they possibly afford to keep them?

Old Master Lu also disapproved of Shen Qingwan’s decision. “Eldest daughter-in-law, dogs eat a lot. When these puppies grow up, it’ll be a huge burden. Even though we have some food, we can’t afford to feed so many.”

“Father, Mother,” Shen Qingwan reasoned, “this journey of fleeing from disaster is full of dangers. At night, there will always be moments when we doze off. With Da Huang around, we can detect trouble early. Last time, when the village was raided by thieves, if it weren’t for Da Huang barking, I wouldn’t have woken up in time. If we hadn’t reacted quickly, the village would have lost even more that night. That’s why I want to keep Da Huang. As for the puppies, they are still small. By the time they grow up, we will have settled in Suzhou. Besides, I have money. We won’t run out of food on the way, so please don’t worry.”

Shen Qingwan did her best to convince them.

Old Madam Lu wanted to argue further, but Old Master Lu raised a hand to stop her. “Enough. Since she has thought it through, let’s not say anything more.”

Because of what happened with their third son, Old Master Lu felt guilty.

As a result, he unconsciously indulged Shen Qingwan a little more.

Seeing that even her husband had relented, Old Madam Lu stopped complaining.

Shen Qingwan felt relieved.

Apart from the third son’s family, who were truly wicked, the rest of the Lu family members weren’t bad.

The second son was honest and sincere, his wife was kind and gentle, the elderly couple were reasonable, and even the young sister-in-law was sweet and shy.

Shen Qingwan didn’t mind looking out for them.

Under the cover of night, Shen Qingwan fed the five puppies some fresh milk and gave Da Huang a large bowl of dog food.

Da Huang had been hungry for so long and had never eaten such delicious food.

He immediately devoured it in big bites.

After she finished, Shen Qingwan gave him water, while the puppies eagerly lapped up their milk.

Xiao Yu and Xiao Chen noticed the white liquid the puppies were drinking and immediately recognized it as milk.

Their mother often gave them milk too.

Xiao Yu loved sweet yogurt, while Xiao Chen preferred plain milk.

However, their mother always told them not to mention it to anyone, so they drank it in secret.

Seeing the puppies drinking happily, Xiao Chen tugged at Shen Qingwan’s clothes. “Mother, I want some too.”

Shen Qingwan glanced around to make sure no one was watching.

Then, she secretly took out two packets of fresh milk from her hidden space.

She let the children lie on the bedding and drink quietly.

After the children finished drinking, Shen Qingwan put the empty packets back into her storage space.

Once both children were fast asleep and the rest of the camp had also settled in for the night, Shen Qingwan checked the surroundings, then quietly left the group.

Once she was far enough from the refugees’ resting area, she took out a motorcycle from her storage space, put on night vision goggles, and rode north.

With the goggles, she could see clearly even without headlights.

On the road, most refugees stayed together in groups when they stopped to rest, so it was rare for anyone to sleep alone in the wilderness.

Whenever Shen Qingwan approached a refugee camp, she would stop and put away her motorcycle, walking past before taking it out again to continue her journey.

She had thought that Lu Wenzhi, traveling with a mule cart, would have gone far, but after only about an incense stick’s time of riding, she saw the mule cart parked on the side of the road.

She arrived just in time.

She spotted a few men sneaking up to the mule cart under the cover of darkness.

Most of the surrounding refugees were asleep, but since Lu Wenzhi’s was the only mule cart there, they naturally became the men’s target.

Shen Qingwan watched calmly as the men rushed in.

They knocked Lu Wenzhi unconscious with a club and grabbed Li Qiuju, covering her mouth before dragging her off the cart and tearing at her clothes.

“Mm… mmph! H-Help…”

Li Qiuju struggled desperately to scream for help, but no one would come to her aid.

The sleeping refugees either didn’t hear or pretended not to.

After a while, her struggles weakened, and only broken sobs and ragged breathing remained.

“Boss, it’s my turn now!”

“Heh, this woman not only looks good but has a great figure too.”

“Fatty, hurry up! I haven’t had my turn yet!”

Their lewd voices were especially clear in the quiet night.

After they had finished their business, Li Qiuju had already passed out.

The men tossed the two children off the mule cart and were about to take off with it—only to find their path blocked by Shen Qingwan.